Children’s National is the only hospital in the Washington, DC, area that guarantees a pediatric anesthesiologist administers anesthesia for all patients at any time of the day and through the night, 24/7.

Our highly specialized team provides anesthesia and pain medicine services at Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC, and at Children’s Regional Outpatient Centers where outpatient surgeries or procedures are performed.

The Importance of a Pediatric Anesthesiologist

Pediatric anesthesiologists have expertise is caring for the particular psychological, physical, and physiological needs of infants, children, and teens. Pediatric anesthesiologists are physicians who complete fellowship training in pediatric anesthesia, training beyond the regular course of instruction for an anesthesiologist. This ensures your child is cared for in the safest environment possible.

Our Services

Children’s anesthesiologists provide anesthesia and analgesia for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. When a procedure, such as a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), requires sedation or anesthesia, we work closely with our colleagues in the Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology to help make the patient more comfortable. We also help hematology and oncology patients undergoing procedures such as bone marrow aspiration and cancer therapies.

Regional anesthesia and patient-controlled analgesia are available. The division will consult on malignant hyperthermia, pulmonary insufficiency, and pain management. Pre-operative consultation from referring physicians is welcomed and encouraged. Pre-anesthetic preparation of the child and parents is stressed. The division works with and has faculty in the new Pain Medicine Program. The expanded Pain Medicine Program cares for acute and chronic pain issues in both inpatients and outpatients.

Cardiac Anesthesiologists

The cardiac anesthesia team is exclusively dedicated to anesthesia care to infants, children, and adults with congenital or acquired heart disease. Each member of our team is a board certified anesthesiologist with subspecialty training and certification in pediatric cardiac anesthesia. The team provides care for patients undergoing cardiac surgery, cardiac catheterization, MRI, and echocardiography. They also provide anesthesia care for any patient with significant heart disease undergoing non-cardiac surgery (such as ear tubes and tonsillectomies) or non-surgical procedure (such as CT Scan or dental examination). Team members work closely with the cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, and cardiac intensivists and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Anesthesia Pain Medicine Service

Children's also provides the Anesthesia Pain Medicine Service as a consult for
chronic pain. The team provides consultation for patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA), epidural anesthesia, and other pain-related problems.
These problems do not necessarily have to be surgery related, and can
include conditions such as sickle cell disease.

Family-Focused Care

At Children’s National, ensuring patient and parent comfort is an
important part of the care we provide. Before a child undergoes any
surgery, diagnostic test or therapy, we make sure both the patient and
family know what to expect with anesthesia.

When medically appropriate, you may stay with a younger child while the
anesthesia is administered and until your child falls asleep.
We continuously monitor your child at all phases of surgery and in
recovery, making sure your child is safe, and that we have answered any
questions you have about your child’s procedure and that you stay
informed about your child's condition.

In This Section:

Children’s National sees children from around the Washington, DC, metropolitan region, nation, and world who need the kind of specialized expertise and child-focused care we offer. No matter what your child needs, we can provide care that’s just right.